One of the biggest nutritional movements that has been steamrolling through our nation is eating gluten-free. The Gluten Free (GF) “way” has been popular in many different areas of health and nutrition, including the weight loss industry, controlling repercussions of autoimmune diseases, lifestyle changes for overall better health, prescription for celiac disease or gluten intolerance issues, and helping control certain mental disorders.
Common Questions
What is eating gluten-free? What and where does gluten come from? What foods have gluten in them? These are all questions that probably run through the minds of many information seekers. I will briefly discuss what gluten is, where it is found, and also provide options for baking with other flours if you are choosing to have a diet that is GF.
What Is It?
In general terms, gluten is a mixture of proteins found in different types of grains. Specifically, gluten is made up of two different proteins: Gliadin (prolamin) and Glutenin. Gliadin and Glutenin are major parts found in the wheat seed. Glutenin proteins are naturally found in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains such as durum (semolina), spelt, einkorn, emmer, Khorasan, club wheat, triticale, and farro. For food purposes gluten helps in providing texture, moisture and air retention, heat stabilization, flavor, and general structure of baked goods and other processed foods.
Grains That Contain Gluten:
- Semolina
- Farina
- Graham
- Einkorn
- Barley
- Malt
- Wheat Starch
- Wheatberries
- Emmer
- Spelt
- Farro
- Kamut
- Rye
- Triticale
- Brewer’s Yeast
What Counts as Gluten-Free?
In order for foods to be considered gluten-free (GF), there are specific testing procedures, and the results must be less than 20 ppm of gluten particles.
Celiac Disease
Individuals who suffer from Celiac Disease or Celiac Sprue have a genetic disease that affects the lining of the small intestine and hinders the absorption of nutrients during the digestive process. There are other signs of celiac disease, such as failure to thrive, anxiety, brain fog, joint pain, reproductive issues, rashes, and eczema. For more information on signs and symptoms, please visit celiac.org. Many individuals who are not diagnosed with celiac disease but have an array of different reactions to gluten fall under the terms wheat intolerance or gluten intolerance/sensitivity.
Challenges In Baking
Now that we have established what gluten is, associated diseases and intolerances, and which grains/foods have gluten in them, we can discuss the challenges in baking that individuals have when using gluten-free products and some ideas to help combat these.
As we have established, gluten provides important properties for baking. It helps retain moisture and air and also helps with structure. When thinking about types of baked goods that need more structure, we think about breads and cakes. Other baked goods, like cookies, can handle flour that does not have the “gluten” type properties. With this said, swapping regular flour with either a gluten-free pre-made flour such as Bobs Red Mill or using naturally gluten-free flour such as Almond flour for cookie recipes usually are acceptable and will produce an acceptable product.
When baking cakes, pancakes, and breads that need more structure, using a pre-made flour mix such as Bob’s Red Mill GF Chocolate Cake mix will already have additives such as Xanthum Gum to help with the binding process of baking. If you do choose to use other flours such as coconut, almond, or quinoa that are in pure form and have no added ingredients, a good tip to go by is ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of Xanthum Gum per cup of flour. This can provide a more suitable product that will be more like traditional baked goods. Another great baking tip is to use eggs as a replacer for properties created by gluten. If and when you start using more exotic flours such as coconut flour or tapioca starch, a recipe that has already been tested can be very helpful and also less likely to produce an inadequate product.
Trial and Error
Gluten-free baking can be a trial and error activity, and many times, finding a recipe that has been tested and making modifications for your personal liking is always a great way to have a good end product. Other tips to help with the taste and production of a quality product are adding extra spices, honey, eggs, or applesauce for moisture and also adding cottage cheese for extra structure.
If you are newly diagnosed or have been attempting gluten-free baking and are frustrated, there are great resources in your counties with the Nutrition and Food Safety Team!
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